Bound to Be Mated(36)

“I thought you liked her. You wanted her as your queen!” he shouted. He tried to distract himself from beating his best friend to a bloody pulp. They’d been through everything together. Why this? Why now?

“Don’t bring our wants into this. Admit to yourself what you wanted from her. Don’t blame us for bringing Charlotte here.”

Micah was caught off guard as Cade charged him, sending him down.

Cade landed a few blows of his own before Micah threw him off his body.

They got to their feet and stared at each other.

“That night when Brandon showed up, you could have done any number of things to protect Charlotte. But you didn’t. You took her and marked and claimed her for your own, and you don’t know why?”

Micah stared at his friend. He fought back the tears forming in his eyes. With a verbal attack, he couldn’t think past the waves of pain rolling through him. He saw Charlotte standing, terrified, being held against her will. He felt the hurt inside her as she was begged for him to save her. He’d known back then she didn’t have a hurtful bone in her body.

“I’m waiting. You took a terrified, twenty-year-old girl on the verge of womanhood and made her your own. You stayed away from her until the right time came to claim her. You snarl at anyone who poses a threat. Now tell me, my alpha, why did you do it?” As he was speaking, Cade was pushing Micah further into the corner.

Trapped into a corner, Micah snarled. “Because I had to have her, all right?” Cade stepped back as Micah poured out his reasoning. “I can’t explain it, but when I’m with her, nothing else matters to me. She doesn’t care about my rank or my strength. She cares about me. I mated with Charlotte because, on that night, staring into her eyes and seeing her strength, I fell in love.”

Cade placed a hand on his shoulder. “Then why are you standing here without her? Find her, talk to her, because if you let her go this second time, you won’t be able to get her back. My friend, you won’t get her back. Could you live with watching her love someone else, having someone else love her?”

He’d been a fool. An all-around fucking fool.

Micah took the hand offered to him, and he shook it, bringing Cade in for a man-hug. “Thank you for opening my eyes.”

“I told you I’ll give you what you need, not what you want.”

Micah turned to the door about to go and fetch Charlotte. He stopped as Frank staggered inside. Blood smeared on his shirt. He was panting and looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

“Brandon from the Eagle pack has taken Charlotte. He said to pass on a message.” Frank stopped, going to his knees.

Micah’s gut tightened.

“He said to tell you it’s payback.” He passed out on the floor. Micah scented the blood was not Charlotte’s.

“Brandon will pay,” Cade said, standing by his side.

“Yeah, the bastard will pay. With his fucking life.” Micah turned to the rest of his pack. The time of the full moon was coming. In a few short hours, Charlotte would be surrounded by werewolves not of her pack. They’d attack, and she wouldn’t survive it. He had no choice. He had to get to her before the full moon.

“If any of you have a problem with Charlotte being your queen, I suggest you step forward now and deal with me.” Micah looked along the long row of pack members. As his eyes connected with theirs, they looked at the floor. He settled on Misty.#p#分页标题#e#

He walked the short distance to stand in front of her.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

Misty hesitated for a split second.

“I said look at me!” he shouted. The sound echoed off the walls. “I asked if any of you have a problem with Charlotte being your queen.”

Micah held his hand up, stopping her from responding.

“I suggest you think quickly and carefully. I’m claiming my mate in the full cycle of the moon. Anyone treats her any less than she deserves will answer to me and be punished by pack law.”

Murmurs erupted from his decree.

“She may be human, but she’s still my queen. None of you will threaten her or try to claim me. I don’t want to be claimed, and anyone who brings tries to threaten my mate will answer to me.”

The women bowed their heads, and Misty spoke up. “I apologize. I thought you wanted me and were only dealing with Charlotte as a woman you had no choice in mating with.”

“I had a choice, Misty. I wanted Charlotte, and the mating and protection were means to an end. She’s mine, and I swear…” He stopped, reached out, and grabbed her around the neck. She tried to pull free and show her servitude. “If you ever so much as look at Charlotte in a way that is less than full respect, I will tear you apart and watch you burn. Do you understand?” Micah only saw the woman who’d hurt his mate. He was pissed. Brandon had his mate, and he wanted justice. He wanted that bastard’s face on the table.